Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide: Shortstops (2026)

A fantasy baseball draft-room guide built from their conversation, with practical roster-building angles for 12-teamers and deeper formats.

Published on Feb. 16, 2026

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Shortstop is still a valuable position in fantasy baseball, with top-tier options like Francisco Lindor and Zach Neto providing five-category production, while players like Geraldo Perdomo and Trevor Story come with more risk. The podcast discusses strategies for navigating the shortstop position, including when to target certain players and how to build a balanced roster.

Why it matters

Shortstop is a critical position in fantasy baseball, and understanding the landscape of available options and their corresponding risks and upsides can help managers build competitive rosters. This guide provides insights from industry experts to help fantasy players make informed decisions during their drafts.

The details

The podcast covers several key shortstop options for the 2026 fantasy baseball season. They discuss the risks and potential rewards of drafting Francisco Lindor, who is recovering from a hamate bone injury, as well as the 'breakout' potential of players like Geraldo Perdomo and Zach Neto. The experts also weigh in on other shortstop targets, including Gunnar Henderson, Elly De La Cruz, Mookie Betts, Willy Adames, and Xander Bogaerts, providing analysis on their strengths, weaknesses, and draft-day value.

  • Reports around Mets camp have pegged a roughly six-week recovery window for Francisco Lindor after surgery on his hamate bone.

The players

Francisco Lindor

A shortstop for the New York Mets who is recovering from a hamate bone injury, but is historically steady across categories when healthy.

Geraldo Perdomo

An Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop who had a breakout season in 2025, but the podcast warns that drafting him at his current ADP may be a 'career-year tax' trap.

Zach Neto

A Los Angeles Angels shortstop prospect who the podcast believes has a high ceiling, with the potential to threaten a 30/30 season.

Gunnar Henderson

A Baltimore Orioles shortstop prospect who the podcast believes has a cleaner fantasy projection, with strong power and legitimate speed upside.

Elly De La Cruz

A Cincinnati Reds shortstop prospect who the podcast believes has immense upside, particularly in category leagues, but also carries more risk.

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What they’re saying

“If you draft Lindor, build in a short-term plan. In weekly leagues, you want a playable middle-infield fallback. In daily leagues, you can grind matchups. Either way, you're trying to survive April so you can enjoy the usual May-through-September machine.”

— Joe Orrico, Fantasy Baseball Analyst (FantasyPros)

“The key is that Elly's value is speed-driven, so your roster build changes immediately after you draft him.”

— Frank Stampfl, Fantasy Baseball Analyst (FantasyPros)

The takeaway

Navigating the shortstop position in fantasy baseball requires a nuanced approach, balancing the risks and upsides of different players. This guide provides valuable insights from industry experts to help fantasy managers make informed decisions and build competitive rosters.